I NEED HELP even 'newbies' are talking over my head here

[bumpi]

I smoke about a pack and a half of old fashioned cigs a day and have tried gums, patches, and pills. But I Love to Smoke so i figure an electric cig can be the thing that gets me to throw my ashtrays away. not too forum savy, I started my search by google-ing electric cigarettes, and got back a flood of options, each saying they were the best...one video selling a "V2" brand said it was the best b/c of a 2 piece system instead of 3, then i went to another site that suppossedly rated e-cigs and they didnt even have that brand.

Then I found this forum and started reading to try and educate myself on what i want out of my e cig, (ive been reading the newbie threads for 6 hours and a pack of cancer sticks) and i now understand
1)the difference and how the auto/manual batteries work (and what i want)
2)i think i want to fill my own cartridges in order to save maximum $$ and have control of nicotine/taste/etc , but do not know if that is something i can do with any brand and model e-cig or are there some that you have to use prefilled ones with everyone recommends buying a bottle of juice when starting even with prefilled, does that mean the prefilled do not have nicotine?? is there "juice" w/o nicotine??(id like to be able to buy a second at some point that i can smoke w/o nicotine and save the good stuff for a craving)
3)i spend a good deal of time away from a charging source so the charging cases seem like a good idea but but nobody says if they work with all brands

Most importantly i have not seen many recommendations of companies, but only what im guessing are model or size classification numbers (eg. 501) being recommended like crazy, what company makes them?? The only name i recognize from ads in between posts is Volcano which i know because they make some really nice high quality "herbal" vaporizers. Im not sure if this is even the same company or just someone trying to dupe people that think volcano and vapor go together like Forest and Jenny

I am willing to spend a good amount on this new habit and understand that I may buy a few of these things over time and am not searching for the "perfect" one on the first shot, but I also dont want to buy a piece of junk that turns me off of the e-cig movement or go through 10 before i find one i like. If i order a bunch of prefilled cartridges/juice are they interchangeable between e-cigs or are they specific to the one i buy it for to begin with..

any help/advice/links to answers is greatly appreciated, as i just want to order one and i know the answers im looking for might be in some posts and threads i havent gotten to yet but its hard to get through every post of every thread especially when a lot of the stuff in this new members area is still way over my head, and i couldnt find a super-newb section

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[Java_Az]

If you go to the main page of this forum and scroll all the way down you will see a huge list of registered suppliers. All the companies in the list are held to certain standards so anyone should be ok to order from. Personally i would go with a Ego to start with as long as your not worried about the size and it looking like a cigarette. Reason being you don't have to charge them every hour they last a good 7 or 8 hours for me and thats after doing some heavy vaping. Volcano has a version of the ego called the inferno. That might be worth looking into.

 

[Ardeagold]

OK...first Welcome! Second...good for doing research before you start. I know there's information overload at the beginning. I'm just starting to "get it" myself.

Let me start with the "number" 510. That number represents the threading of the screw together areas on the parts of the e-cigarette. Anything with 510 can be used (it will fit so you can mix and match) anything else with the same number.

There are a lot of different 510 things you can purchase. Some are: atomizers, cartridges (two pieces that fit together and are placed on top of the battery), cartomizer (atomizer and cartridge in one), batteries (slim..like a Joye510, fatter...like an eGo or Riva, Volcano, and many more).

There are other numbers you'll see too, like 808 or 901. This is also a "code" (so to speak) for the threading. You can use these with 510 parts, and vice versa, but need adapters.

When you see people recommend a Joye 510, they're recommending a slender "cigarette" type pv (personal vaporizer). When you see them recommend an eGo or Riva, they're recommending something "fatter" (about the size of a Sharpie marker), which has longer battery life.

You'll also see a lot of different recommendations for different cartos (cartomizers). There are many out there, and everyone has their favorites. As long as they're 510, whether big or small, they'll fit the 510 batteries (slender or fat). The one thing you have to be careful of is the LR (low resistance) 510 attys. Don't try these on a regular "slim" cigarette style pv, and some say don't try them on a regular eGo or Riva battery either. It can supposedly kill them. (I haven't tried them yet, so don't know for sure).

There are many good companies to purchase from. I use Liberty Flights a lot for my e-cig kits, atomizers/cartridges, cartomizers, pcc, etc because they have great prices, a good selection and fast, inexpensive shipping.

However, there are other excellent companies out there too, and they may offer things that LF doesn't have.

If you don't mind a "sharpie" sized e-cig, I'd recommend a Riva or an eGO kit (same thing except Riva is a rebranded/less expensive version) from Liberty Flights. This would be my starting point for someone who smokes the number of cigarettes a day that you do.

If you want to start with a cigarette sized pv, I'd recommend a Joye 510 Manual kit AND a pcc (so you can keep one charged while using the other), AND an extra battery, preferably two, OR a KR808, which has a longer lasting battery so I've heard. (Haven't ever used one, but people seem to love them and I didn't want to leave out the option.)

Just be aware that if you start with a cigarette sized pv, trying to make up for that pack and a half a day, you'll be rotating batteries all day long (about once an hour, in fact) with an e-cig the size of a Joye 510, and will probably get tired of that real fast. (That's what I did...LOL)

You can get any and all of the above from Liberty Flights (except the KR-808 which you can get from Vapor 4Life), but if you decide to purchase from LF, make sure you click the Discount box in the upper left hand corner when you get there to get the discount on your whole order.

I purchase my e-liquid from specific juice "vendors" listed here on the site. I buy empty cartomizers and fill them myself. I also have some atomizers and empty cartridges from my kits and my initial purchases.

You can purchase pre-filled carts and cartos, but after a while you probably will want to try all the flavors and fill them yourself. You can choose your nicotine level and flavors (less variety in most prefilled) whether prefilled or not. If not, you just buy your own and fill.

You can also "drip" by purchasing drip-tips, but I don't do it, so someone else will have to fill you in on that!

You can read through the vendors and see which ones are geared more towards the juice versus the hardware (attys, batts, etc). I recommend Kick Bass Vapor and Gourmet Vapor, but I know there are many other good ones out there that are highly recommended.

I hope this helps a little, and look forward to you letting us know what you finally decide!

 

[misterD]

get the Riva 510 - Lite Bundle (same as ego) from LF. the 2 batts fully charged should last you all day.
should be 29.99 the kit with 2 batts, a charger, a cone and 2 atomizers.
http://www.liberty-flights.com/product.asp?id=55

 

[Godzilla]

I would try Kick Bass Vapors because every flavor I have tried from them tastes like the real thing. I just made another order tonight. With your smoking, I would get 24mg. nicotine. I also have the ego and vapes wonderfully. Order from Liberty Flights, in fact the Riva is similar and i beleive at $29.99 which is a great price. same size battery as the ego, and some say a better switch. I love my ego though. I would also order some extra attys, try 2 regular 510 attys and maybe a couple or few of the lr306 which fit the ego or riva and it has awesome flavor and vapor. make sure to get a 510 and a 310 drip tip too. You should find all these on LF. If you cant find something, ask in here.

I promise if you do this, you will be a happy camper. The ecigs just take getting used to. And here is the biggest tip I can give. never let your atty run dry. before taking your first vape, blow the attys out of the primer in there, and drip 3-4 drips of your juice in there and blow out again. then drip 3 more and vape away.

you can always blow into a paper towel now and then to gauge if it is still moist. if nothing or barely no juice comes out its too dry.

 

[SecondChance]

Wow! Where to start... if cig size feel is important, KR808, 510, 901.. if not ego, Riva, inferno etc.. will give more battery life and performance. Any of these would be a good starting point, but you also want to get juice, small sample sizes in several flavors and nic levels would be a good start to see what you like and at what strength. Many vendors offer sample packs of 5 or 10 flavors in 3 or 5 ml size to try. So much is personal preference and taste, but any of the kits above, and some juice samples should be a good start. Best of Luck.

 

[icemanx3]

Try these quizzes. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/138564-vaping-quizzes.html

BTW, if you don't care if it looks like a cigarette...get a larger capacity battery modification (mod). Your batteries will last all day. I can say I have had nothing but the best customer service and products through MadVapes, however, everyone here will probably tell you the same for many other companies. And if you REALLY want the easiest route, maybe look into a nice bottom fed modification. People call them bottom fed mods. It's where your juice bottle is actually inside the mod enclosure, and the juice feeds up to your atomizer. You don't need to drip juice, or use cartomizers. With a nice battery also within, you can vape for days on end with minimum fuss. I am going to purchase a REO Grand soon.

As far as juice, I have only bought from MadVapes, Backwoods Brew (BWB), and Freedom Smoke USA (FSUSA) and have had STELLAR customer service from all three.

GL!! May all your vaping dreams come true!!

ice

 

[dormouse]

I recommend in the sticky threads at the top of New Members forum, you watch/read
1. the newbie videos
2. the thread with Library in its title - goes to a multipart illustrated guide (ignore the Blu in the guide and probably all super-minis in the guide because few people are happy with a super-mini very long)

Then you will be up on all of the lingo and the popular models we buy at regular price. You may find some fancy sites on the net but you need to know there is a whole seedy upper crust of e-cig sellers who are just out to make a buck by rebranding less popular models from Chinese wholesalers, selling them with hard-to-fill carts and cartos, making you pay through the nose for spare parts etc. And they have a whole bunch of bs "review" sites and "testimonials" claiming they are the best and it's bs. here's a good giveaway - if a site charges more than $20 for a battery or does not sell blank cartridges and juice for their units, then walk away. And even some of the ones with reasonable prices and blanks may have inferior or less flexible models. So know what you are buying, whether it's good, whether you are paying too much. Some rebranders are actually good and offer more colors of the popular models, not crippled or changed in any way and at a reasonable price.

Check those guides and figure out what you think will meet your needs out of the popular decent-performing models. We buy those at good prices and can get blank carts or cartos and juices and fill carts ourselves. You can even mix your own juices if you want to get into that.

When you look at the guide and videos, be aware that super-minis rarely please anyone for very long. Generally weaker hit, shortest life batteries, smallest and most annoying to fill carts. Consider a mini (next size up from a super-mini) and if you need real long battery life consider the fat-battery versions of several popular minis.

These are good hardware places for many basic models, some of which are better or more popular than others - LiteCigUSA.net, Cignot,com, Liberty-flights.com - but you need to start deciding what you need and want

And I recommend manual batteries even if you think it will be weird or hard or unnatural because it isn't - 1 hour and it will be like second nature.

Juice - yum. My faves are Backwoods brew, FreedomSmokeUSA (discount code freedomsmokeusa usually gives 10% off), and if they were open Velvet Vapors (closed for a family emergency)

 

[IOU]

Hi bumpi, and welcome to the forum and e-cigs!
You are not alone my friend. I (and I think most) was very overwelmed just a couple of months ago, but if you are anything like everyone else, you will get the hang of it very quickly.
The first thing you are going to hear is that the best e-cig is really your choice, but most will suggest either the 510 or the KR808D-1 (KR8). These are two of the most popular choices for beginners today. There are many more good e-cigs, but most beginners like to start off with something that looks like a real cig, or what is referred to as an analog.
Secondly, both are refillable, both have their strengths and weaknesses. Both have Personal Charging Cases (PCC) and they both work well as alternatives to smoking analogs.

A good 510 or KR8 create a lot of vapor (smoke, to a smoker). A good throat hit (the feeling you get in the back of your throat when you take a big drag off an analog).
The 510 may make certain juices taste a little better than the KR8.
The 510 leaks a little easier than the KR8, especially when overfilled.
The KR8 is a little easier to carry around extra prefilled cartomizers (cartos). The 510 uses cartridges (carts) and atomizers (attys) usually carried around empty and filled when used.
The two differ in the thread design, so they are not interchangeable with each other.
There are many suppliers. I would recommend Heaven's Gifts Best electronic cigarettes_ecigarettes_eliquids_ejuices - Heaven Gifts . You can buy both styles and accessories there for a very reasonable price.
You will get many great suggestions here, all you have to do is ask, but those are my suggestions.

The most important part is to try it. The best of luck to you!

 

[CoughingBad]

I had pretty much the same questions you had, and felt overwhelmed with all the info here. It will take forever to read and digest all the info here. I think any of the suggestions above will work, at some point you just have to take the plunge and get something just to start you off.

I myself went with LibertyFlights for my eGo kit, and Vapor4Life for my kr808 kit, and am happy with both purchases.

Good luck!!

 

[cskent]

Hi and welcome to ECF. Some people prefer 2 piece, others 3 piece, it's personal preference. A 2 piece uses cartomizers, which are a combined cartridge and atomizer. Cartomizers hold more juice so they go longer between refills. But cartomizers don't last as long as atomizers. 3 piece units use an atomizer with a cartridge or a drip tip. Atomizers are more expensive than cartomizers but last longer. Cartridges don't hold as much juice so you have to top them off more frequently, but atomizers give you more options later.

The difference between auto batteries and manuals is that auto's have a switch in them that activates when you take a drag. Manuals you push a button just before you take one. Most people end up with manuals because they give more control. Auto's usually have a cutoff that won't let you take long hits.

All of the better units will allow you to use your own juice to refill them. You can use the same juice on all of them. Some of the proprietary ones don't let you refill them so avoid them altogether. You can get juice in different nicotine levels to suit your needs. You can also get 0 nic juice if you want to quit it altogether.

If you smoke more than about 1/2 pack a day you really should look at something with a larger battery, otherwise you'll get very frustrated having to charge batteries all the time. Anything over about 500 mah (milliamp hour) would do ok. This will allow you to go many hours between charges. You need at least 2 batteries, otherwise you'll be without anything to vape until your lone battery charges. Although a charging case (PCC is what they're called) sounds good even with small batteries, they tend to be inconvenient to a lot of people, although some do like them.

There are a number of different models and lots of vendors selling them. Some of the most common are the 510, KR808, 801, 901, M401, M402, M403, M601. These numbers refer to the battery connection, mostly the threading. If something is 510 compatible it'll work with many different brands. Same goes for the others, a KR808 will work with other brands that are KR808 compatible, 801, 901, etc. There are a few good companies that make the different units. Joye, Janty, Bauway, SLB, and some that are those brands but have been rebranded with specific resellers names.

You need to decide what features are important to you. What size unit do you want? How long do you think you'll be away from power to recharge it? Do you need something that lasts a long time between refills, or is refilling not a problem? Do you want a lot of throat hit? More flavor? Large plumes of vapor? Are you near a computer a lot? I'd suggest you make a list of those things you need your e-cig to have. Once you do it will be a lot easier for people to make good recommendations. Even then you'll get some conflicting responses, but many people will provide you with links to vendors who have descriptions of the various units. That's when you can start looking for something that meets your needs.

I'll start you off with a couple of my favorite hardware vendors:
Electronic Cigarette Supplies & Electronic Cigarette Refills for Name-Brand Electronic Cigarettes! E-Cigs from LiteCigUSA, you'll be hard pressed to find a better vendor.
Welcome to MadVapes LLC, they have good prices on 510 kits and juice.
E-Liquid and Electronic Cigarette Shop - Category Listings, they have about the best price going on eGo and Riva kits, and I've heard good things about their juices too.

 

[bumpi]

can cartomizers be refilled or are they throw away??

 

[methic2345]

a fellow new yorker great to see, and welcome to ECF...I too had the same newb issues, I would read through the threads and just be like what in the world is everyone talking about, after reading and more reading the lingo becomes very easy to get, there are a lot of different resources to get started, for me it was an eGo kit from cignot.com which has become the cliche started device....everyone here has already given you great advice, just stock up on supplies and juice from the very beginning, i didnt and it became a huge annoyance, plus ask questions most people here a happy to help.

 

[Ardeagold]

can cartomizers be refilled or are they throw away??

Yes and Yes. You can refill or throw away, depending on your preference. Most refill until they're dead, some prefer just to keep using new pre-filled ones.

 

[bumpi]

Well I did it, the order is in...I went with the Volcano Inferno, (even after i realized ti was a different company than the one that makes those great herbal vaporizers) it doesnt seem to be as highly recommended as some others, but it comes with a big battery and the option of usb pass thru(or whatever its called) so it gives me some options..I got sucked in by the pretty design and shiny red body (couldnt find if its a 510, 808, 901), they also sucked me into getting a bunch of accessories including the mega clearomizers, stainless drip tip, and a few cartridges, I did hold off on buying juice from them, so now im off to the juice boards to find a vendor and get some juice....Then i should be good right????? am i gonna need anything else? is this thing just high priced crap that i should cancel? or is it a good starting point?


thanx for trying to break things down for me in a way i can understand, Im guessing ill learn a lot more when i actually have a PV in my hand, screw it all together and take my first drag.. Ill be sure to let u know how it goes as soon as im blowin vapor...

 

[trouble2k]

The Inferno is a 510 thread, so you can buy any hardware with that thread. I've seen a lot a people opting for the Inferno kit lately since it comes with the 1000mah battery and the passthrough. I don't see that the kit comes with atomizers?? Just in case, I would either make sure or order a couple of extras. It's easy to have accidental losses when you're starting out.

Then, like you said, off to the juices hunt. Good luck

Edit: I finally got some coffee in me and saw that the kit does come with one atty. I'd still pick up a couple of extras.

 

[dspin]

Read, Read and read somemore. I lurked around a couple months before deciding. Watch Youtube also. Don't be in a rush. My opinion w/differ from others. Only you can decide in the end

I smoke about a pack and a half of old fashioned cigs a day and have tried gums, patches, and pills. But I Love to Smoke so i figure an electric cig can be the thing that gets me to throw my ashtrays away. not too forum savy, I started my search by google-ing electric cigarettes, and got back a flood of options, each saying they were the best...one video selling a "V2" brand said it was the best b/c of a 2 piece system instead of 3, then i went to another site that suppossedly rated e-cigs and they didnt even have that brand.

Then I found this forum and started reading to try and educate myself on what i want out of my e cig, (ive been reading the newbie threads for 6 hours and a pack of cancer sticks) and i now understand
1)the difference and how the auto/manual batteries work (and what i want)
2)i think i want to fill my own cartridges in order to save maximum $$ and have control of nicotine/taste/etc , but do not know if that is something i can do with any brand and model e-cig or are there some that you have to use prefilled ones with everyone recommends buying a bottle of juice when starting even with prefilled, does that mean the prefilled do not have nicotine?? is there "juice" w/o nicotine??(id like to be able to buy a second at some point that i can smoke w/o nicotine and save the good stuff for a craving)
3)i spend a good deal of time away from a charging source so the charging cases seem like a good idea but but nobody says if they work with all brands

Most importantly i have not seen many recommendations of companies, but only what im guessing are model or size classification numbers (eg. 501) being recommended like crazy, what company makes them?? The only name i recognize from ads in between posts is Volcano which i know because they make some really nice high quality "herbal" vaporizers. Im not sure if this is even the same company or just someone trying to dupe people that think volcano and vapor go together like Forest and Jenny

I am willing to spend a good amount on this new habit and understand that I may buy a few of these things over time and am not searching for the "perfect" one on the first shot, but I also dont want to buy a piece of junk that turns me off of the e-cig movement or go through 10 before i find one i like. If i order a bunch of prefilled cartridges/juice are they interchangeable between e-cigs or are they specific to the one i buy it for to begin with..

any help/advice/links to answers is greatly appreciated, as i just want to order one and i know the answers im looking for might be in some posts and threads i havent gotten to yet but its hard to get through every post of every thread especially when a lot of the stuff in this new members area is still way over my head, and i couldnt find a super-newb section

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[bumpi]

ordered a bunch of sample size juices from freedom smoke USA (only came in 24mg there though) and i did get one extra atty, figure between that and the 5 clearomizers i should be good for at least long enough to learn a lot more about what i want/need...

i really appreciate the help and patience as i feel like my mom trying to email pictures (clueless) with all this stuff, hopefully it wont be long till i can toss the lighter away!! SUPER PUMPED you ecf guys are the best

 

[VapNfool]

Hi bumpi! Let me throw my penny's worth here for you. I'm a newbie to vaping (about one week), but did a lot of research. All of what the other peeps are saying here is very good advice. Myself, I decided on the VaporKing (KR808D-1) from www.vaporvlife.com. I bought the ultimate kit with PCC, extra batteries, cartos, and some juices to try out. They also sent me some random cartos for free too. The extra batteries I bought were the regular size but I got three extra longs too for more battery life. I decided to just get all the stuff on the first go-round at V4L to make it easier. So here's a quick review on the gear and my vaping impressions:

PCC - I love it. Can take some cartos and keep one batttery on charge all the time. With a full charge, the PCC will charge 4 or five rounds of batteries.

Batteries - The regulars are lasting about 4 hours for me and the extra longs about 2 hours more or so. I'm constantly vaping since its such a new experience so this might be less or more depending on your style. I was a 1 pack a day analog user so I assume these times are normal based on how much I used to smoke (not sure though). My kit came with two batteries but I bought several extras (and sizes) to play with and make sure I had plenty to keep charged.

Chargers - You can always have fresh batteries with the PCC, the USB charger, and the wall charger. Plus, at home you can use the passthrough connected to your computer and not even use a battery. I have had no problem keeping all my spare batteries charged and am never with a full battery to vape on. I bought a USB car adapter also so I can use the passthrough while driving or charge batteries in the car. I think it cost around $8 US...so it was really cheap.

Cartomizers - The V4L cartos I got are two types (WOWs and Premiums) since I wanted to try a variety. They both generate plenty of vapor (more with the WOWs), the throat it is good (especially on long pulls), and the flavors are quite good too depending on your personal taste. I seem to like the V4L WOW cartos a bit more overall but the premiums are good too. Again, personal opinion. Generally, all the flavors are quite robust though some are weaker than others in strength. Some you will LOVE, some you will say "so-so", and others you simply not like at all. You will see lots of opinions on flavors but my take is that flavors are very subjective. In any case, coming straight from analogs, the whole flavor thing is a real treat...so have fun! You just have to start trying them and experiment to see what you like and don't like. Later, you can also try other vendor flavors, mix them, or even mix your own. I just decided to start simple...I'll work up to the other stuff later. I bought all my cartos at 18mg strength and so far, I'm fine with them but again...that's me. Depends on your personal nicotine needs.

NOTE: I did buy some blank cartos and several 30ml bottles of e-liquid from V4L too to check them out. There are plenty of YouTube vids to learn how to fill (and refill) cartos and its really very quick and easy. I must say that the prefilled cartos aren't quite as good as the blanks I filled myself with the e-liquids. You don't have to do this but it might be fun to try them. Plus, filling your own carts with juice should be quite a bit cheaper overall.

Final impressions - I can truly say that I will not use any more analogs. The e-cig is a major breakthrough for smokers like me who "want to quit for the obvious reasons...but love to smoke". So, this sounds like the perfect thing for you as it was for me. I have not used one analog since I started a week ago. I have had no cravings for one either. The VaporKing is perfect and is exceeding my expectations. Plus...it's really, really fun! If you want an e-cig that looks and feels like an analog...the VaporKing or similar type is a good choice to start. The two-piece systems (battery/cartomizer) are really simple and easy to use. No fuss. No muss. Just throw a carto on and go. So far, it seems with the right setup (car adapter, extra batts, and a PCC) you will have no issues with being away from a charging source. On the other hand, an eGo type PV will certainly last longer since the batteries are larger but they do not look or feel like an analog. The Inferno and the new Leo might be good choices to start if you go this route. Personal preference again. Personally, I wanted an e-cig to resemble an analog and the KR808D-1 seemed to best fit what I wanted. Some type of e-cig that simulates analogs is probably what most newbies go for since they are making the initial move from an analog to a digital device. I know that was the deal for me anyway and I love it. There are others for sure, so just continue your research. I suggest going on the web and Googling reviews for the various types: KR808D-1, 510, and 901. You can also do the same for several eGo styles. Overall, I am very happy with the VaporKing 808 setup I got. Absolutely no complaints so far...though it's just been a week or so since I started. I'm having a blast trying all the flavors and playing with my new toys. I'm a "techno-gadget" junkie anyway so that's just icing on the cake for me. Anyhoo, hope this helped even a little bit and if anyone out there who knows more than me (i.e. everyone) notices something I said here that is off-base...please correct me. I need to know and so does bumpi. Thanks and....ooooh....(vaping)....I LIKE this "pear" flavor a LOT!!!

 

[VapNfool]

Ah...I see you opted for the Inferno bumpi. Good choice for an eGo style. I looked at some reviews on that model and everyone had good things to say about it. You should be happy. Hope you have fun vaping! Keep in touch here to let us know how ya like it will ya?